abortion

Over the past few years, many abortion clinics on the High Plains have shut down. In fact, the High Plains now has zero abortion clinics, which means women on the High Plains must sometimes travel hundreds of miles to access abortion services.

As the special session continues in Austin, lawmakers in the Texas Capitol passed a number of bills last week aimed at restricting access to abortions for Texas women.

As USA TODAY reports, in just one week, four anti-abortion bills passed the Senate and another passed the House. Texas has frequently made national news over the past few years with its repeated attempts to limit access to abortion.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday signed into law new abortion restrictions requiring abortion providers to dispose of aborted fetal tissue through burial or cremation, despite a block on the regulation already imposed by a U.S. court.

As Reuters reports, anti-abortion group, Texas Right to Life, praised Abbott and the legislation, calling it the “most significant pro-life victory” of the regular legislative session.

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback signed a bill Wednesday morning requiring abortion providers to give patients information listing their credentials, any disciplinary actions meted out against them and whether they have malpractice insurance.

The bill also requires the information to be provided at least 24 hours before a procedure and printed on white paper in black 12-point, Times New Roman font.

In what is certain to shape up as one of its most important decisions in years, the Kansas Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday morning on whether the Kansas Constitution’s Bill of Rights enshrines a right to abortion.

The case is on appeal from the Kansas Court of Appeals, which, in an evenly divided decision last year ruled that the state Constitution recognizes a “fundamental right to abortion.”

A Kansas senator who compared Planned Parenthood to Dachau doubled down on his statement and called Planned Parenthood worse than Nazi concentration camps.

Sen. Steve Fitzgerald, Republican of Leavenworth, on Monday told KCUR he saw nothing wrong with the comparison, which he first made in a letter to Planned Parenthood after a woman made a donation to the organization in his name.

As The Texas Tribune reports, U.S. District Court Judge Sam Sparks ruled last week that Texas cannot require health providers to bury or cremate fetuses, delivering another blow to state leaders in the reproductive rights debate.

In his ruling Friday, Sparks wrote that the Texas Department of State Health rule’s vagueness, undue burden and potential for irreparable harm were factors in his decision.

The ruling on the controversial fetal burial rule has been delayed until later this month after the U.S. district judge who issued a temporary restraining order last month to keep the rule from going into effect, extended the order until Jan. 27.

In 2014, Oklahoma passed a law attempting to restrict abortion access in the state. The law, similar to one passed in Texas, required a physician to have admitting privileges at a hospital near the facility where the abortion was performed.

Conservative Texas lawmakers have seen hope in the election of Donald Trump when it comes to abortion legislation.

As The Daily Beast reports, in the wake of Trump’s election, Texas Republicans have filed multiple bills banning abortions. The laws are being decried by critics as a bridge too far, even by Texas standards.

In fact, Gerald Ford was president the last time Oklahoma opened a new family planning clinic. The Trust Women South Wind Women's Center will provide many services to women, including abortions, Ob/Gyn care, family planning, adoption services, and emergency contraception.

A controversial pro-life bill has passed both houses of the Oklahoma Legislature and is heading to the desk of Governor Mary Fallin. The bill would revoke the license of any doctor who performs an abortion, Reuters reports. Democratic opponents say the measure is unconstitutional. They’re promising a legal battle if the Governor signs the bill.

Fallin has not yet indicated her intentions regarding the measure. The bill would strip any doctor who performs an abortion of his or her medical license.

In 2015, the first full year after Texas enacted tough new regulations on abortion clinics, there were 9,000 fewer abortions performed in the state, reports The Christian Science Monitor. The Supreme Court has called the tightening of abortion access in Texas a “controlled experiment” for the enacting of similar laws in other states.

Texas Policy Evaluation Project and Whole Woman’s Health / The New York Times

No one questions that the number of abortion facilities in Texas has dropped in recent years. In 2013 the Texas legislature passed a law that, among other things, required abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. The law led to the number of clinics in the Lone Star State being reduced by half. Challengers to the law contend that the law is unnecessary and draconian.

With all the turmoil surrounding abortion rights in this country, sometimes it’s helpful to take a global view of things. The Guardian reports that, when it comes to accessibility of abortions, the U.S. falls somewhere in the middle. For example, it’s easier for a woman to get an abortion in Texas than it is in Northern Ireland. In Greece, however, abortions can be carried out on demand up to a limit of 12 weeks.

New abortion laws went into effect in Texas on the New Year. Texas Public Radio has published an overview of the way the legislature has tightened restrictions for underage Texas women. State law already required those under 18to get a sign-off from a parent before receiving an abortion. But a judge can circumvent the requirement if they think the parent will harm the young woman.

Two months ago Texas Republican leaders announced they would kick Planned Parenthood out of Medicaid. But the organization is still receiving state funds to provide health care for low-income women, reports The Texas Tribune. And now the state officials who called for cutting the funding have fallen silent.

In Texas, the fight over abortion just grew more heated. The New York Times reports that state investigators showed up at Planned Parenthood centers in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Brownsville. The investigators asked the clinics to turn over private information about patients, including medical records and home addresses and phone numbers.

The Texas Tribune reports that state health officials have adopted Republican guidelines that disallow abortion-affiliated groups from running abstinence-education programs in the state. New language Health and Human Services materials would prohibit entities even loosely affiliated with abortion providers from receiving any funding to teach abstinence.

Texans are being forced to wait longer to receive abortions than ever before, according to The Texas Observer. The number of abortion providers in Texas has fallen from 41 down to 18 since Republican lawmakers passed a restrictive law in 2013.

When it comes to abortions, High Plains residents must travel farther than almost any other US citizens, reports the New York Times. Amarillo residents must travel 234 miles to the nearest clinic. Many denizens of the Oklahoma Panhandle and Western Kansas must likewise travel over 200 miles to have the service performed. The national average outside Texas is 59 miles.

A judicial bypass is when a judge gives a minor permission to have an abortion without her parent or guardian's consent. The bill is authored by Democratic State Representative Geanie Morrison. She says she wants the judge to see the minor in person without exception. The minor would also need to show a government-issued ID, and would require more time to pass before the judge could consent to the procedure.